Contamination of honey with heavy metals, toxicity profile, and health hazards

Honey, one of the most consumed food, is rich in sugars, proteins, vitamins, antioxidant compounds, amino and organic acids, and minerals. Heavy metals and trace elements in honey are beneficial for nutrition, but at certain concentration level they cause health problems. Current study aimed to assess the heavy metal content in honey and estimate their associated risk according to the Egyptian Standards. Approximately, 100 samples were collected from beekeepers in El-Qaluobiya, El-Menofiyia and Ismailia Governorates, Egypt. Samples were analyzed for cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), ferrous (Fe), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) using the atomic absorption spectrometry. Results revealed that mean concentration of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn were 0.005, 0.128, 0.462, 0.123, and 0.244 mu g g(-1), respectively. From the metals analyzed the most abundant was iron, followed by zinc, coper and lead, while Cd was in low concentrations. One cause may that the industrial system and application of agrochemical in the studied area in the last two decades. Amounts of studied heavy metals in honey were less than the recommended level according to the Egyptian Organization of Standardization. The average daily intakes (ADD) of the detected heavy metals were much lower than the oral daily intake reference dose (RfD) suggested by the European regulations. The hazard index (HI) value of the five heavy metals from honey was 0.005. This finding suggested that the intake of a single metal through honey consumption did not pose a significant potential chronic-toxic risk.